Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood
May 22, 1861

History of the Fifth West Virginia Cavalry, formerly the Second Virginia Infantry, and of Battery G,First West Va. Light Artillery by Frank S. Reader. New Brighton, PA: Daily News, 1890.

The “Grafton Guards” were organized shortly after the firing on Fort Sumpter, the leading spirits in forming the company being George R. Latham, Daniel Wilson, Bailey Brown, F. A. Cather, and others, the company being fully enrolled on May 20, 1861. At the time of forming the company, the confederates were camped on the bridge across the Tygart’s Valley river, on the Northwestern Virginia turnpike, nearly two miles below at Fetterman. When eighty men had been enrolled the company organized by the election of George R. Latham captain, F. A. Cather first lieutenant, and Daniel Wilson second lieutenant.

. . . On the night of the 22d, Daniel Wilson and Bailey Brown walked down towards Fetterman, and encountered the rebel picket on the railroad in the east end of town, where Daniel W. S. Knight and George Glenn, of Captain Robinson’s company, were on guard. Knight ordered them to halt. Instead of doing so, they continued to advance, Knight repeating his order, until they got close to the pickets, when Brown fired his revolver shooting Knight through the ear. Knight, who was armed with an old-fashioned smooth-bore flint-lock musket, loaded with slugs, returned the shot, killing Brown almost instantly. There were three holes in Brown’s body close together, in triangular shape, resembling wounds made by buck-and-ball cartridge, one slug passing through his heart. This occurred about 9 o’clock. When the firing took place Wilson retreated, receiving the load out of Glenn’s gun in the heel of his boot. Brown’s body was taken to the town hall by the rebels, which was occupied as quarters by the Harrison Guards, and property cared for.